CBP: IPR seizures slip with border traffic

CBP: IPR seizures slip with border traffic    Commercial vehicle traffic at U.S. borders fell 17 percent, seaport container traffic was down 13 percent and commercial entry releases dropped 16 percent in fiscal year 2009, according to the latest round of information from U.S. Customs and Border Protection about its activities during the past year.
   The lower traffic and shipment figures, which were given in a speech last week by Acting Commissioner Jayson Ahern, are a reflection of a weak global economy and slack trade. They also mean that CBP will collect less import taxes and user fees for the U.S. Treasury. In recent years, CBP has raised more than $30 billion in revenue.
   In recent weeks, CBP also announced that it had seized a record 4.47 million pounds of narcotics, $58 million in outbound currency (up 74 percent from the previous year) as part of tighter inspections on the Southwest border and processed more than $2 trillion worth of legitimate trade. The border agency processed more than 361 million travelers and more than 108.5 million cars, buses, trains, trucks, vessels and aircraft entering the country.
   Drug seizures at ports of entry alone reached a five-year high of 1.5 million pounds, including a 53 percent increase for cocaine, 19 percent for marijuana and 11 percent for ephedrine.
   The number of seizures (14,841) for intellectual property rights violations totaled more than $260.7 million in domestic value, down from more than $272 million seized in fiscal year 2008. China continued to be the top offender and counterfeit footwear (38 percent) remained the top commodity seized. Seventy-nine percent of the value of seizures from counterfeit or pirated goods came from China. The Asian nation also led the way with 62 percent of counterfeit goods by value that also posed potential consumer safety or security hazards. India was the second highest source of unsafe goods or materials. Jewelry appeared on the list of top IPR seizures for the first time, accounting for 4 percent of the total domestic value of seizures, according to statistics released by CBP and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ' Eric Kulisch